** While trying to kill Kratos, he tells Atreus that he will be his "new brother" after he completes in doing so. This seems to suggest that he desires to feel superior as a "big brother", as all his life he is overshadowed by Magni.

** While trying to kill Kratos, he tells Atreus that he will be his "new brother" after he completes in doing so. This seems to suggest that he desires to feel superior as a "big brother", as all his life he is overshadowed by Magni.

* Oddly, Modi's weapon is a medieval weapon. While simple clubs have been used throughout antiquity, what Modi uses did not get developed until well ''after'' the period in which he lives. His shield design (an overall square shape) was not used by any culture at any point in history and is largely fictitious.

* Oddly, Modi's weapon is a medieval weapon. While simple clubs have been used throughout antiquity, what Modi uses did not get developed until well ''after'' the period in which he lives. His shield design (an overall square shape) was not used by any culture at any point in history and is largely fictitious.

+

** The closest real life square-shaped shield is the roman's Scutum. And even then, it's shape is rounded square and it's much larger than Modi's.

* While Sindri confirms that Modi is a demigod like Magni, it is unclear what race his mother was, given that she is not mentioned anywhere in Norse mythology.

* While Sindri confirms that Modi is a demigod like Magni, it is unclear what race his mother was, given that she is not mentioned anywhere in Norse mythology.

* Interestingly, Modi's design invokes Berserker imagery due to his armour being made from bear fur. In Viking mythology, Berserkers wore bear hide to grant themselves courage in the battlefield.

* Interestingly, Modi's design invokes Berserker imagery due to his armour being made from bear fur. In Viking mythology, Berserkers wore bear hide to grant themselves courage in the battlefield.

Revision as of 06:35, January 3, 2020

“

You ruined everything. I earned that fucking hammer. But now everyone's gonna think I only got it cause Magni's gone. I'll be a joke. But if I kill you - no one's gonna laugh at me.

Loyalties

Current status

Behind the Scenes

Voiced by

Appears in

Modi was a demigod and son of Thor and the younger half-brother of Magni. He serves as the secondary antagonist in God of War (2018). He and his brother both follow their uncle Baldur in their quest to find and kill Kratos.

Contents

Norse Mythology

In Norse mythology, Móði (anglicized Módi or Mothi) is a son of Thor. There is no mentioning of Modi's mother.

Modi and his brother Magni were mentioned among the few survivors of Ragnarök in the Poetic EddaVafþrúðnismál. After Thor’s death at the hands of Jörmungandr, they inherit Mjolnir.

In the God of War Series

Modi was the demigod son of Thor and an unknown mother. He is the grandson of Odin, the nephew of Baldur, and the younger half-brother of Thor’s first son, Magni.

Together in their youth, Magni and Modi — no taller than shrubs — managed to rescue their father after the almighty Aesir God of Thunder had accidentally got himself trapped underneath the corpse of the GiantHrungnir, shortly after he had killed him. However, while nobody was looking at the time, Magni and Modi succeeded where everyone else in Odin’s court had failed by effortlessly lifting Hrungnir’s body off of Thor. Unfortunately, the only one to witness the two was Odin’s advisor, Mimir. In the end, Magni was given all of the credit for the deed simply because he was noticed first since he was the blonder of the duo. Having failed to receive little-to-no praise for his accomplishment, Modi was left immensely bitter due to having been overshadowed by Magni.

Growing up, Magni would be regarded as Thor’s favourite son while Modi would be simply regarded as nothing more than Thor’s second son and Magni’s brother alone. In addition, due to Thor’s favouritism of Magni, Modi was treated little more than a lesser by his father, causing him to develop an inferiority complex from living in Magni’s shadow. As a result, Modi strived to one day outdo his older brother and impress his father by proving himself worthy of inheriting Thor’s prized hammer Mjolnir.

During the Aesir-Vanir War, Magni along with his brother took part in a battle and fought and killed the Vanir goddess Nerthus.

After their uncle is defeated in battle by a man suspected of being the Guardian, Magni and Modi are summoned by Baldur to aid him in his hunt for his target. The three travel to Midgard where they seek advice from the now-imprisoned Mimir. Mimir is shocked and amused that “the sons of Thor“ have graced him with their presence and mockingly asks if the two are still tripping over themselves “trying to impress daddy“. The three try to get answers out of Mimir on the whereabouts of Kratos and his young son Atreus, with Baldur even offering to speak to Odin himself on Mimir’s behalf and attempt to have Mimir released but Mimir, knowing too well Odin will never free him, refuses to help and simply orders Baldur to leave as well as take the “two worthless wankers” with him. Frustrated, Baldur leaves but not before Modi threatens to return later and steal Mimir's other eye. The two siblings‘ conversion subsequently annoys Baldur to the point he orders to shut him and call them “idiots“.

Shortly afterwards, Magni and Modi split up from their uncle in order to hunt Kratos and Atreus. Having witnessed the Frost Giant Thamur’s hammer suddenly fall for no apparent reason and destroy the entire frozen plain, the two decide to investigate the arena; correctly assuming that their enemies are in the area. Continuing to search the area, Modi brings up his distrust for his uncle by mentioning Baldur hasn’t seen straight in years but Magni states that since Thor trusts them, they must trust him as well. Modi notes that they cannot disappoint their father, which Magni agrees with an annoyed tone of voice.

Just as Kratos and Atreus arrive with the now severed head of Mimir to claim a piece of Thamur’s chisel, they are spotted by Magni and Modi and quickly ambushed. Magni orders father and son to surrender but Kratos refuses to comply thereby starting a brawl between them and the sons of Thor. Modi introduces himself by jumping down from up above and blocking Atreus’ escape. Sadistically amused by the mere sight of Atreus, Modi takes advantage of the fight by proceeding to mercilessly mock Atreus constantly throughout the battle; taking immoral pleasure in insulting the young boy and trying to get a rise out of him. The fight, however, takes a drastic turn when Kratos manages to kill Magni by embedding his axe into Magni’s face. Visibly distraught by the death of his older half-brother having taken place right in front of him (as well as given by the fact the two believed themselves to be incapable of dying), a horrified Modi backs away from Kratos in fear while struggling to speak in terror and anger. After being shot with several arrows by Atreus, Modi turns tail and runs away; disappearing over the side of the cliff and into the bellows of the canyon.

With Magni now gone, Modi realizes that he will receive Mjölnir simply by default and will forever be regarded as a joke by the Aesir. Refusing to let this fate come to pass, Modi tries to avenge his brother at Tyr's Temple. Ambushing Kratos and Atreus while they were preoccupied with trying to enter Tyr’s secret chambers, Modi summons a lightning storm and disables the two. With the two down, Modi enters and begins to continuously electrocute Kratos with his mace while Atreus helplessly looks on. Modi furiously proclaims that Kratos ruined everything and disturbingly taunts Atreus by stating he will be his “new little brother“. Enraged, Atreus attempts to activate his inner rage to try and save his father only to suddenly fall unexpectedly into a coma, providing Kratos with the much-needed opportunity (and motivation) to overpower and disarm Modi, forcing the cowardly demigod to flee once again.

Following this, he flees to Asgard, where his father, Thor, proceeds to blame him for leaving Magni to die and severely beats him for his cowardice.

Death

“

Thor... blamed me... ME...for what you did to Magni. My own father called me a coward...

”

–Modi to Kratos and Atreus after getting beaten by Thor

Broken both figuratively and literally, Modi returns to Midgard in order to redeem himself. He attempts to confront Kratos and Atreus again while they were inside the mountain, but he is too badly injured to do anything. While Kratos saw no reason to kill him, Atreus begged to differ. Having been told by his father that he was a God, Atreus, in his arrogance wished to kill Modi out of revenge; remarking that as Gods, they could do whatever they wanted. With nothing left to live for, Modi proceeded to make one last particularly vulgar insult towards Faye, which resulted in Atreus stabbing him in the neck before kicking him into a chasm, presumably killing him before Kratos could intervene.

Aftermath

Atreus’ killing of Modi would go to serve as one of the major, if not, primarily catalyst for Atreus‘ growing arrogance. Modi‘s death would particularly come to haunt Atreus after he and his father accidentally ended up in Helheim. While in the City of the Dead, Atreus was tortured with visions of his recent arrogance: him mercilessly killing Modi before callously kicking over the side of the cliff. Though while Modi may have given Atreus a reason to be so arrogant, Modi’s death also gave Atreus reason to become more humble and eventually reconcile with his father. After completing their journey, Atreus has a dream where at some point in the future, Thor attacks Kratos and Atreus at their home to avenge the deaths of his brother and sons.

Personality

“

Wow kid, your mother must have been some whore to lay with the likes of him.

”

–-Modi taunting Atreus

Modi, like his fellow Aesir, was very cruel and sadistic, showcased when he and Magni threatened Mimir of returning "when no one is looking" and removing his remaining eye for not helping them locate Kratos and his son. He is also extremely rude, vulgar and impulsive, perhaps more so than his brother, constantly insulting Faye many times during his battle with Kratos and Atreus, much to the latter's infuriation. Even in his final moments, Modi held his immature personality to the end, as he continued to goad and taunt Atreus right before being stabbed in the neck.

He and his brother tended to bicker but were of course close to a point, specifically shown with Modi's anguish after witnessing Kratos killing his brother. However, it should be noted that he subsequently seemed to be more concerned over his own reputation following his brother's death, rather than Magni's actual demise. Despite their childishness, together in battle, the duo were a formidable force. Both brothers also had a reputation of apparently low intelligence, as they were constantly called idiots/fools by a number of characters, such as Baldur, Mimir, Kratos, and Sindri, the latter whom referred to them as "Thor's idiot sons" and called Modi a "Dung Heap".

Much like his brother, but far more so, Modi is utterly desperate to please and impress his father, the legendary Thor, and earn the right to wield his hammer, Mjölnir. As such, Modi is extremely insecure about proving himself the one to rightfully earn his father's hammer, specifically due to Thor's favouritism over Magni. As such, his rudeness and vulgarity could be seen as a result of this inferiority complex. When Kratos killed Magni, Modi believed that since his more favored brother was gone, he would only get the famed hammer by default, rather than proving himself worthy. As a result, Modi would think that everyone, particularly the Aesir, would see him as a joke, rather than as the heir to Thor. With this result, Thor brutally beat and blamed Modi for letting Magni die, as well as brand Modi a coward.

Despite being loyal to Baldur, Modi still expressed a level of distrust towards him, citing that "Uncle hasn't seen straight in years".

Only after his beloved, yet rival, brother is killed did he come to fear Kratos, and his cocky personality was soon tinged with cowardliness, immediately fleeing for his life after the shock of his brother's death. This was furthered after he successfully ambushed Kratos and Atreus in Tyr's Temple after his brother's death and then fleeing yet again when Kratos managed to overcome his lightning attack. As such, it is ironic that Modi's own name translates to "courage". This can be attributed to the Ragnarok prophecy since Magni's death should have been impossible, as he was prophesied to survive the apocalypse; Magni and Modi possibly believed that they were protected by both fate and destiny, but Kratos defied this by killing Magni, leaving Modi fumbling in fear and disbelief at the revelation of how vulnerable he actually is.

Modi is largely a dishonorable sadist, as he takes enjoyment in tormenting Atreus about Faye and asks Magni if he can get "the kid" when they find him and Kratos. It's not entirely certain about Modi's intentions towards Atreus but it is likely that Modi prefers to fight those who are weaker than himself, only participating in fights that guarantee his survival, unlike Magni who is confident in his abilities and likes a challenge.

Weapons and Powers

Superhuman Strength - As the son of Thor, Modi possesses godly strength, though not to the same extent as his half-brother or father. It was said by Mimir that when Thor was trapped beneath Hrungnir's corpse, none could lift the giant off of him, until Magni and Modi, as mere children, easily hurled the stone giant off of Thor.

Immortality - As an Aesir god, Modi was immortal, and could only be killed by other immortals or special weapons.

Superhuman Durability - Modi is extremely durable, taking extreme punishment from Kratos and Atreus's attacks. He was able to withstand a beating from his own father Thor, although he was left weakened and bruised.

Electrokinesis - Due to being a son of Thor, Modi has an affinity with lightning and electricity, as he is able to generate electricity from his body, thus allowing him to send strong electrical shocks through his mace and others on contact. Since Modi is not as strong as his brother Magni, Modi is better in using lightning, he can use it more effective than his brother such as : throwing a ball of lighting that explodes upon physical contact to the ground or the opponent or shoot a ray of lighting to the opponent that saps their life away. Modi can combine his power with Magni's to perform more powerful moves such as a lighting slam that covers a large radius. The power of his lightning is enough to drop Kratos to his knees for a few moments, though the effect was short-lived after Kratos gave in to his rage.

Mace and Shield - Modi carries both a one handed medieval mace and square metal shield. As such, Modi is skilled in offense and defence when in combat. When used in conjunction with his electrokinesis, Modi is able to charge either the mace or the shield with lightning and wield with great effect such as charging with the shield or throwing electrical orbs from the mace. He can also shoot lightning from the mace as well, as demonstrated when he continuously electrocuted Kratos inside Týr's Temple. In addition, the mace also allows Modi to summon a "snowblind" together with his brother. His weapons were declared knockoffs of Mjölnir that was crafted by Brok and Sindri for Thor.

Trivia

In Norse Mythology, Magni and Modi are mentioned among the survivors of Ragnarok.

Modi is the second god in God of War (2018) to be killed, not by Kratos, but his son Atreus.

Modi (Móði) ironically means “Courage“. In reality, Modi is a pathetic coward who prefers to fight weaker opponents i.e., children, e.g., Atreus and flees when the tables are turned and the odds aren‘t in his favour anymore such as when Kratos killed his older brother.

Coincidentally; in Norse Mythology, Magni and Modi were deliberately named as such because they were meant to embody their father's features. Even more ironically, his own father Thor called Modi a coward and consequently severely beat him for running away and failing to save his older brother and Thor’s favoured son.

During the course battle, the pair of them will shout "ÓÐR BRÓÐIR BLINDR!" ÓÐR means mental faculties or voice in Old Norse. BRÓÐIR is obviously brother, and BLINDR means blind. So, it could mean "brother's voice of blinding" or "brother's blinding voice". As Magni and Modi are brothers, this makes sense, as well as the fact it blinds the target.

"ÓÐR" often translates to "frenzy" or "fury" when used as an adjective. With this in mind, the chant can mean "brother's blind frenzy" or "brother's blind fury". The snowblind acts as a divide and conquer strategy. Where you'd separate your enemies to prevent cooperation and pick them off individually. Or create enough dissent between your enemies to create self-destructive paranoia. In this case, the brothers wanted to separate Kratos and Atreus so they can kill them off individually while they were disorientated by the storm.

Modi is voiced by Nolan North, the voice of Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series. Magni is instead voiced by Troy Baker, who also voiced Nate's brother, Sam Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. North had appeared in the God of War franchise previously, having voiced Hades in God of War.

Modi being the younger brother of the two is somewhat ironic, as Nolan North is actually five years older than Troy Baker.

Sindri expresses a particular disliking for Modi, saying he would rather lick a rat than shake his hand. The exact reason for why he detests Modi in particular to such a degree is unknown, though this may simply due to Modi's barbarous nature.

It is implied that Modi is not favored by the Aesir, with feats of strength and bravery being attributed solely to Magni alone.

While bickering with his brother, he asks Magni that if they find them, he can keep Atreus to himself, to which Magni replies in disgust, "What is the matter with you?". It leaves rather disturbing questions of his interest on Atreus. After the first fight, Atreus writes in the Codex that he's a "creep". In the battle, he also tells Atreus, "Jealous? Want me all to yourself?" and "Got big plans for you, kid."

While trying to kill Kratos, he tells Atreus that he will be his "new brother" after he completes in doing so. This seems to suggest that he desires to feel superior as a "big brother", as all his life he is overshadowed by Magni.

Oddly, Modi's weapon is a medieval weapon. While simple clubs have been used throughout antiquity, what Modi uses did not get developed until well after the period in which he lives. His shield design (an overall square shape) was not used by any culture at any point in history and is largely fictitious.

The closest real life square-shaped shield is the roman's Scutum. And even then, it's shape is rounded square and it's much larger than Modi's.

While Sindri confirms that Modi is a demigod like Magni, it is unclear what race his mother was, given that she is not mentioned anywhere in Norse mythology.

Interestingly, Modi's design invokes Berserker imagery due to his armour being made from bear fur. In Viking mythology, Berserkers wore bear hide to grant themselves courage in the battlefield.

If Kratos fails to activate his Spartan Rage during the Quick Time Event, Modi seemingly invokes Thor and yells "Sing with my name!" when Kratos dies. Suggesting that he either wants Kratos to confirm that it was Modi who killed him, or, he was trying to get Thor's attention so he can finally get his approval after spending his whole life being overshadowed by Magni.

Sindri's comment about Modi's mace suggests that Brok and Sindri had ceased all trading with the Aesir. It also amplifies how little Thor thought of Modi, as Thor might have approached the dwarves to make a weapon as reliable as Mjolnir for Magni and not for Modi.

Gallery

Modi with his weapons during his fight with Kratos and Atreus.

Modi stuns Kratos with his lighting power

Kratos rushes at Modi with Spartan's Rage.

Modi after getting a severe beating by Thor for his cowardice.

Atreus stabs Modi for insulting Faye.

Atreus kicks Modi off the cliff, presumably killing him while Kratos tries to stop his son in vain.